Capacity Building workshops: ActionStorm & Crowdfunding
Join the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund Capacity Building team for this interactive, informative crowdfunding workshop with ActionStorm expert Tom Brushwood.
It’s vitally important that we arm our local communities with the tools and expertise to help them develop their own socially conscious projects. The Capacity Building Programme aims to provide a platform for knowledge sharing and offer networking and partnership opportunities. The inclusive programming has been designed to be representative of participants’ feedback – championing inclusivity and wellbeing throughout.
About the session
On ActionStorm.org, you start a petition quickly and easily for your own organisation for free. You can also ask supporters to opt-in to your email subscriber list, you can download a list of your supporters (with email addresses) anytime you need or send an email out to supporters directly from within the platform.
These extra features are proving to be game-changing for the organisations that Tom works with – now they have a way to build awareness for important issues that they campaign around AND can build long-term email subscribers AND collect donations at the same time – all in one place.
Tom has seen organisations go from 50 email subscribers to 800 subscribers – and from 800 subscribers to 8,000 subscribers in just a few days. One year on from ActionStorm going live, and around a quarter of a million people have signed petitions on the site – and this is just the start. They know that this works for organisations – both who are just starting out, and those who are looking to ramp up their promotion.
The only catch is you MUST have an important social issue which is at the heart of what you do (this is perfect for charities and social enterprises). If there isn’t a social issue at the heart of what you do or you’re faking interest in something, then this is not something that will work for you.
We will primarily cover audience building through petitions for social enterprises and charities, including:
- Why petitions are right for some organisations, wrong for others, and what to expect when going into your first petition
- How starting a petition works behind the scenes, from start to finish
- How to use the ActionStorm platform
- How to find the right topic for a petition
- How to time it right
- How to use your network correctly for maximum reach
- Further support Tom and the ActionStorm team can provide to ensure maximum reach with your petition
We’ll also cover a little bit of how to use your audience to do a crowdfund once you’ve built it up, and the session will wrap up with some Q&As where you can ask any questions you may have.
What else do you need to know?
When: Monday 6 June 2022, 6pm – 8pm
Where: Zoom (You need to sign up here and the Zoom link will be emailed to you from Eventbrite prior to the event)
This event is free and open to individuals, organisations and businesses working and living across the local communities in the London Boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.
Please register to avoid disappointment – places will be made available on a first come, first served basis.
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About Tom Brushwood
Primarily, Tom is involved in helping organisations raise funds via crowdfunding – particularly campaigning organisations, activists, social enterprises and charities – anyone who is trying to make a difference in the world. Over the last two years, Tom has helped organisations raise £14m with the UK’s largest crowdfunding platform, Crowdfunder.co.uk, working alongside the platform’s founder, Phil, to coach large projects. Through crowdfunding work, he has seen time and time again how the size of your audience and the overall success of your organisation are intrinsically linked – the more subscribers and followers you have, the easier it will be to find success with your venture.
About your Hosts
The Foundation for Future London is pleased to be working with Lisa Stepanovic, who will be leading the Capacity Building Programme. Lisa is a working-class, award-winning social entrepreneur, experienced businesswoman, activist, and mentor who was born and raised in London’s East End. She is best known as the founder of Social Ark; Social Ark builds on Lisa’s many years of experience in running her own businesses and supporting hundreds of entrepreneurs on their journey, especially those from working-class backgrounds who often find themselves excluded from mainstream incubator and accelerator programmes.
Follow Lisa here: @Lisa_Stepanovic
Follow Moses here: @moses_ican
Follow Foundation for Future London here: @FdnFutureLondon
About the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund
In 2020, Foundation for Future London, through funding from Westfield Stratford City, created the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund – an ambitious five-year programme that aims to invest £10 million into the local communities of Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Waltham Forest. The Fund aims to support local organisations and individuals to create new jobs, learning, training, and educational programmes through the means of arts, culture, innovation, public realm and creative placemaking. The Fund aims to transform and catalyse the lives and careers of people across east London by putting funding, resources and support straight into local people’s hands.
Year 2 of the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund has now opened. With the generous donation from Westfield Stratford City, Year 2 of the fund will continue to provide new jobs, learning, training and educational programmes through the means of arts, culture, innovation, public realm and creative placemaking.
This year we are hosting, in partnership with Lisa Stepanovic, a series of capacity building events, starting with pre-application workshops, as part of a 12-month Capacity Building Programme.